The United States government has announced an immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme, commonly known as the green card lottery, following a deadly shooting at Brown University.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on Thursday, December 18, that President Donald Trump had directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the programme with immediate effect. The decision comes after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at Brown University, killing two undergraduate students.
According to U.S. authorities, the suspected attacker entered the United States in 2017 through the diversity visa lottery and was later granted permanent residency. Officials linked this background to the decision to halt the programme while further assessments are carried out.
Announcing the suspension, Noem stated that the move was made under direct instructions from President Trump to prevent further harm to Americans. She reiterated the president’s long standing opposition to the diversity visa lottery, arguing that it conflicts with the country’s immigration policy framework.
Noem also referenced earlier incidents that had shaped Trump’s stance on the programme. She recalled that in 2017, the president sought to end the lottery following a deadly truck ramming attack in New York City carried out by an ISIS affiliated individual who had entered the country under the same visa category.
Further details emerged about the Brown University incident, revealing that the suspected Portuguese national also killed a university professor during the attack and injured nine other people. Investigators later found the suspect dead, with preliminary findings suggesting the cause may have been a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The suspension represents a significant setback for countries that have traditionally benefited from the programme, including Kenya, where many citizens have gained legal entry into the United States through the lottery system.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa programme is a U.S. government initiative designed to provide individuals from eligible countries with a chance to obtain permanent residency. Applicants are selected randomly through a computerized process, allowing successful entrants to live, study, or work in the United States.
